Whiskers are single crystals that have a high length to width ratio. When incorporated into the matrix of materials such as ceramics, the result can be a composite having improved strength and toughness. A great deal of research is being done in this area to improve the performance of ceramics in applications such as cutting tools, turbine parts and internal combustion engine parts.
Whiskers made of titanium nitride are of interest since the compound has a high melting point of 2950.degree. C., a hardness of 8-9 in Moh's scale, exhibits good electrical conductance and is stable at high temperatures in inert atmospheres. However, to date the processes for making TiN whiskers have almost exclusively required a gas phase reaction between TiCl.sub.4, N.sub.2 and H.sub.2 at temperatures above 1000.degree. C., with the attendant problems of controlling the gas flow rate and the disposal of the HCl by-product. These processes are not only very expensive due to the extreme conditions required, but they also result in low product yields.
Only recently have alternative methods for TiN synthesis been reported. Three reactions that have been developed are molten cyanide with sodium-titanium bronze; oxide-containing molten alkali cyanide with TiN powder or TiO.sub.2 ; and molten alkali cyanides with alkali titanates. These reactions take place in the liquid phase yielding a product of whose whisker morphology cannot always be consistently repeated. There is a need for a process that would yield a product having a morphology that can be anticipated and consistently repeated.